| Tour of Guangxi | |
| Date: | October |
| Region: | Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China |
| English: | GREE-Tour of Guangxi |
| Localnames: | 格力·环广西公路自行车世界巡回赛 (in Chinese) |
| Discipline: | Road |
| Competition: | UCI World Tour UCI Women's World Tour |
| Type: | Stage race (men) One-day race (women) |
| Director: | Olivier Senn |
| Number: | 4 (as of 2023) |
| Mostwins: | No repeat winners |
| First Women: | 2017 |
| Number Women: | 4 (as of 2023) |
| Mostwins Women: | No repeat winners |
The Tour of Guangxi (officially known as the GREE-Tour of Guangxi for sponsorship purposes) is an annual professional cycling race held in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.[1]
The men's race is a stage race and is part of the UCI World Tour.[2] The women's race is a one-day race and is part of the UCI Women's World Tour.[3] The event passes through a mix of metropolitan areas and stunning countryside scenery.[4]
First held in 2017, the men's race is the second UCI World Tour race to be held in China, following the Tour of Beijing which was held between 2011 and 2014.[5] The women's race was first held in 2017, and joined the UCI Women's World Tour in 2018 - becoming the second event on the calendar held in China after Tour of Chongming Island.
On 1 December 2016, Union Cycliste Internationale, Wanda Group and People's Government Of The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region signed an agreement in Beijing, which said that authorized by the Union Cycliste Internationale, the GREE-Tour of Guangxi is a top ranking race organized by the local government and China's Wanda Group since October, 2017.
The first Gree Tour of Guangxi inaugurates on 19 October in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region with the participation of the 18 elite teams recognized by the UCI. It is also the last stage of 2017 UCI World Tour.
The race, from October 19–24, will start from the seaside city of Beihai, passing Qinzhou, Nanning, Liuzhou and eventually ending in Guilin. The Tour of Guangxi comprises six stages with a total length of 940 km, running through Guangxi from the south to the north, crossing plains, hills and mountains, the Beibu Gulf area, the rivers and mountains around the Lijiang River, the capital city of the autonomous region, Nanning, and the historical site of Liuzhou. It will showcase the spectacular natural scenes, historical culture and ethnic customs of Guangxi.
In addition including a women's race. 2017 UCI Cycling Gala also will be held in the Chinese city of Guilin.[6]
The first three stages are flat stages, and Fernando Gaviria, a world-top sprinter from Quick-Step Floors, won the champions of all the three stages, becoming the most popular superstar among the audiences. In the fourth stage in Nanning-Nongla Scenic Area, Tim Wellens from Team Lotto Soudal, who won the champion of Tour of Benelux twice, sprung up and won his first champion of climbing stage of Tour of Guangxi, and became the new owner of red jersey. In the 212.2 km Liuzhou-Guilin stage of "Mountain Queen", Dylan Groenewegen from Team LottoNL-Jumbo won the champion. However, Tim Wellens still managed to obtain his red jersey before the last stages. Thus, in the last stage, Tim Wellens finally won the first grand champion of "UCI WorldTour · Tour of Guangxi".
Originally planned to return in 2022,[7] the race was cancelled in June 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China.[8]
| Year | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | ||
| 2018 | ||
| 2019 | ||
| 2020 | No race due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2021 | No race due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2022 | No race due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2023 |
First held in 2017 as the Tour of Guangxi Women's Elite World Challenge, the women's race joined the UCI Women's World Tour in 2018.[9]
The 2019 edition of the Tour of Guangxi Women's WorldTour took place on 22 October 2019 covered 145 km around Guilin.[10]